Reading Nick Kristof’s New York Times column this morning reminded me so much of his coverage of the Tiananmen Square massacre that happened almost 22 years ago today.
Some eerie similarities exist between the two events–although there are far more differences, to be sure. Even the location the protestors are gathering—Tahrir Square (interestingly, also known as Liberation Square) sounds similar to Tiananmen Square-where so many Chinese students died fighting for freedom.
Another item that struck me while reading his column is this story about a young woman Kristof met while being guided from Tahrir Square:
Whatever Mr. Mubarak is planning, it does feel as if something has changed, as if the Egyptian people have awoken. When I needed to leave Tahrir Square today, several Egyptians guided me out for almost an hour through a special route so that I would not be arrested or assaulted – despite considerable risk to themselves. One of my guides was a young woman, Leila, who told me: “We are all afraid, inside of us. But now we have broken that fear.”